Catholic Shrines & Places of Interest in Hungary
Hungary has a long Catholic history dating back to the year 895 AD, when the country was formed from a federation of tribes. In the year 1000 A.D., Steven of Hungary was crowned and became one of the most advanced rulers of Hungary….and all of Europe. Saint Stephen had been a pagan who converted to Christianity, and ruled from 1000-1038 A.D. When crowned in the year 1000 A.D., he held up the crown during the coronation Mass to offer it to “Nagyboldogasszony” (“Our Lady”) in order to seal a divine covenant between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the people of Hungary.
The impact of his life upon the country cannot be under-estimated. His reign was marked by great devotion to God and to ruling his Kingdom with justice. He decreed that every 10th town in the kingdom should have a church and during his reign he built many monasteries and churches. King Stephen of Hungary was officially canonized as a saint in 1083 by Pope Gregory VII. He was elevated to sainthood alongside his son, Saint Emeric, and Bishop Gerard.
While his universal Catholic feast day is observed on August 16, Hungarians primarily celebrate his legacy and sainthood on August 20. Known as State Foundation Day, this is a major national holiday commemorating the day his relics were translated to Buda.
An interesting note: Something that confused us was that the familiar Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus” says that he looked down on the Feast of Stephen,”when the snow was crisp and even”. The “Feast of Stephen” (also known as Boxing Day) takes place on December 26th—the day after Christmas. The carol describes a winter scene in the Northern Hemisphere where December marks the heart of winter, not the summer month of August. The carol itself originated from an older 13th-century spring tune called Tempus Adest Floridum (“It is Time for Flowering”). However, the English lyrics written in 1853 specifically adapt the setting to a bitter, snowy winter night. So…that answers a question we have often had about that song.
Since the reign of Stephen, of course, most of the country was ravaged not only by the Ottoman Turks, but the two world wars of the 20th century and also by the oppressive rule of Communism.
The world watched as, in 1956, The Hungarian Revolution (also known as the Hungarian Uprising) took place. It was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People’s Republic and the policies caused by the government’s subordination to the U.S.S.R. The revolution lasted from Oct 23, 1956 until Nov 11, 1956, after which it was brutally suppressed: The Kremlin sent over 1,000 tanks and heavy artillery rolling into Budapest on November 4. Despite facing fierce resistance, the vastly superior Soviet forces successfully quashed all remaining pockets of fighting by November 11. This crushing defeat led to mass arrests, a Soviet-backed government, and nearly 200,000 Hungarians fleeing as refugees.
It was perhaps an eye-opener in the West. Western film crews and photojournalists risked their lives on the ground to capture the conflict. Their footage was quickly assembled into cinema and television newsreels (such as those by UPI and Warner Pathé) and broadcast internationally for days or weeks after the events took place. The coverage was un-precedented at the time and brought the events right in to people’s homes….something we are used to now, but was rare back in the 1950’s.
As communism fell in Europe, Hungary gained independence in its modern form on October 23, 1989, when the Hungarian People’s Republic was abolished and the democratic Third Hungarian Republic was declared, effectively ending decades of Soviet-communist rule. The country gradually recovered and began to be one of Eastern Europe’s more popular tourist destinations. Unspoiled and not over-run with tourists, it draws increasing numbers of visitors each year. And, of course, there are many sites of interest to Catholics are now open to pilgrims and tourists.
A note about currency in Hungary:
Although the Euro is generally used throughout Europe, and may be accepted in some places (but not at a very good exchange rate), the official currency in Hungary is the Florint.(HUF), distinguished by the symbol Ft.
Among the many sites of interest in the Hungary are the following:
Esztergom: Cathedral of Esztergom
Gyor: Cathedral of Gyor and Miraculous Image of Our Lady
Mariapocs: Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapocs
What about MÁRIOPÓCS,in Hungary? Is this the principal Marian Shrine? Is Gyor a National Shrine also, to Our Lady? Is it a place of pilgrimage for many in Hungary?
The answer to each of your questions is yes.